


Doctor's Diagnosis

by teenydots



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 16:29:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6431836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teenydots/pseuds/teenydots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a Harley Quinn and Joker Style AU, Franken Stein is a patient at Death City Institute for the Criminally insane on accounts of multiple attempts at manslaughter and human experimentation. Doctor Marie Mjolnir is his new psychiatrist after three others have tried and failed to treat him. Only she’s different. She’s patient and kind and treats Stein with respect. Something none of the other doctors had ever done with him before. </p><p>He eventually starts gaining new, unidentifiable feelings towards her. She also is soon finding herself attached to him, but struggles morally because of his crimes. Suddenly, Stein is faced with being transferred to a new hospital called “Arach”, nicknamed “Arachnophobia” by other patients from how horrible it treats its patients. Marie tries her hardest not to get him to be transferred, but they soon have bigger problems to be worried about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The faint clicking of heels was the first thing he heard; a steady, even pace of sharp vibrations echoing in the air. He quickly tried to assemble any available information he could about the approaching personage. He assumed from the heels that they were female, but he didn’t rule out male entirely yet and he estimated from the volume and the time between clicks that the woman was anywhere between 110 and 140 pounds. He also estimated that she couldn’t be any taller than Five-Two or Five-Three.  She was probably standing with her back straightened into perfect, professional posture, clutching a clipboard with his entire medical, criminal, and personal history to her chest.

The staff of the Death City Mental Institution for the Criminally Insane had suddenly grabbed him from his solitary confinement cell without any warning and transferred him into the small, cold cell that he was currently in. They strapped him in full-body restraints to a chair and then left without saying anything. He had guessed that one of two things were going to happen; either they had finally given up and were prepping him for transfer to a different hospital, or they had gotten  _ another  _ psychiatrist for him. His mouth twisted into a crooked smile.

_ “Wrong choice,” _ he thought.

She must have been close, maybe one hundred feet or so from his door, now . He shifted in his restraints, wondering what  _ this  _ one would be like. She was the fourth psychiatrist he had been assigned to that year, and it wasn’t even May, yet. No doctor has ever been able to last any longer than five weeks with him. One after another, they had always given up on him, claiming that he was incurable and that he was a lost cause. One actually had a mental breakdown from trying to treat him. Being alone with him in a room with only minimal restraints was always a good way to lose a finger or two.

The footsteps came to a slow halt in front of the door. A moment of silence followed, as if the person outside was wondering whether they should come in or not. Wondering if they were ready to attempt treating the most dangerous person in Death City not to be subject to immediate lethal injection.

Apparently, they didn’t wonder for too long, because in just a few seconds he heard the jangle of keys as they unlocked and opened the squeaky door.

As the woman entered, he became more and more pleased with himself. She was everything that he had estimated her to be. She looked to be 120 pounds and four eleven, smaller than he had originally thought. She looked to be around her late twenties to early thirties and had blonde hair that went a few inches past her shoulders. She was holding a thick case file, which was most definitely his, and was wearing a dress suit that looked professional. Just like he expected. She was just another pretty face to try and sweet talk him into some semblance of sanity.

He silently wished her good luck.

“Good Morning, Mister Stein,” she said politely as she closed the door behind her and locked it back up. ”My name is Marie Mjo-”

She halted mid sentence, as she turned around and looked up from the case file at him. Her warm smile disappeared from her face as she looked him up and down for a few seconds. She slowly took back out her keys and unlock the door, not taking her eyes off of him. 

She opened the door, taking one last good look at him before rushing out and slamming the door behind her.

_ “Well, that was easy,” _ he thought as a grin found it’s way on his face. He didn’t even have to move and she was already gone.

“ _ What the hell do you think you’re doing?! _ ” He suddenly heard her scream outside the door. He laughed at his effortless success in scaring her off.

“Ma’am? I-I don’t understand what you mean,” a guard outside sputtered.

“ _ What did you do to him?! _ ” she continued. “ _ He’s tied up like a wild animal! You go in there and be a semi decent human being and let him out of that torture device you call a chair! _ ”

All of a sudden, the smile on his face was wiped off, replaced with  surprise at her words.

“Uh…” the guard mumbled. “He’s restrained like that for your safety.”

“ _ My safety _ ?!  _ My safety?! He’s in more danger of hurting himself than me right now! Hand over the keys to those chains! _ ”

“Ma’am, I’m not in the position to give you-” 

“Fine! I guess I’ll just go find the Director and ask  _ him _ !”

“Is everything alright? I heard shouting,” came a voice that was an all too familiar in sound to Stein.

“Director! Just in time. I need your assistance, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course. Lead the way.”

The door swung open suddenly as Marie came striding in, followed by the young, dark haired Director Death.

“Just look!” She gestured towards Stein. “He’s probably in pain from how tight he’s strapped into that chair!.”

The director looked at Stein, giving him a cold look.

“Well hello there, Kid,” Stein teased in an attempt to not look confused. “Looks like you’ve given me another test subject.” The director sighed before turning back to Marie.

“Doctor, the restraints are for your safety.” 

“Everyone here is so ridiculous! I’m not in any danger! Please, let him out of that ridiculous contraption!”

Kid sighed again, placing his fingers to one of his temples. “I can release him from some of his restraints, but I can’t leave him free to just attack you.”

“Thank you.” Marie sighed in relief. “Please let him be as comfortable as possible.” She turned to Stein and smiled warmly. “Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry you had to go through this. Can I get you something? A glass of water?”

This time, Stein couldn’t hide his shock. He raised his eyebrows and parted his mouth a little bit as he stared at her.

“How about I go get that water?” She beamed as she turned to walk out of the room.

Kid waited for Marie to leave the room before he walked in front of Stein, pulling out his keys from his pocket.

“Listen,” Kid hissed at him. “You’ve hurt other doctors in the past, but if you  _ dare  _ lay a finger on Doctor Mjolnir, I’ll make sure you won’t be needing any doctors anymore. I expect you to be on your best behavior for her. She's a very talented Psychologist, and I have a good feeling about her.  _ Don't  _ make us lose her. We need someone who has such an aura of healing about her."

Stein didn’t respond. He was still listening to Marie’s small footsteps as she walked away from the therapy room. His brain couldn’t seem to have processed what had happened. She had walked in, knowing she was treating him, one of the most notorious criminals in Death City, and almost immediately was concerned for his comfort. Why?  _ Why _ would she do that?

Kid clenched his jaw at Stein’s silence. He began to unlock his restraints one by one. Before he released his arms, he hooked him up to the handcuffs attached to the table. He had just finished unlocking the last lock when Marie walked back in with a glass of ice water.

“Oh, that’s much better! Thank you very much, director!” Marie affirmed as she placed the glass on the table in front of Stein. He stared at the glass, watching the condensation slowly drip down the side. 

“I believe I can handle it from here, director,” Marie assured Kid as she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. 

“Please… Let me know if there are any problems,” Kid said with a tone of unsurity. 

“I’m sure I’ll be fine!” Marie said kindly. “Don’t worry about me.”

Kid took one last cold look at Stein before striding out the door, locking it behind him.

“Now then…” Marie said as she crossed her legs and rested her arms on the table. “Once again I am so sorry about that. I hope they didn’t hurt you or anything. Are you okay?”

Stein didn’t take his eyes off of the glass. He was caught completely off guard by her. He previously had his plan figured out on how to not reveal anything to her. How to stay completely distant and drive her off like all of the others. But she completely knocked him off of his rails. Ever other time a psychiatrist had seen him for the first time, they had always asked if he could have  _ more  _ restraints put on him. But she threw a tantrum seeing him in his usual restraints, demanding that he be released. Just what was she planning?

“Mister Stein? Are you feeling okay?” He heard her ask. His gazed wandered back up to hers. She was looking at him apprehensively. When his eyes met hers, she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Stein suddenly cracked a smirk on his face.

He’d figured her out.

“I suppose that means you’re fine?” she asked again.

It was a trick. A trick to gain his trust. Acting so sweet to him.

“Are you shy? Should I introduce myself first?” 

He relaxed in his chair, relieved.

“Okay, let’s try that, shall we? My name is Doctor Marie Mjolnir. But feel free to call me Marie. I am your new Psychiatrist, and I’m here to help you in any way I can!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Transcript of fifth therapy session between Doctor Marie Mjolnir and patient Franken Stein.**

**  
** **(Skipped to 22:45 minutes in)**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Okay… Ah… Let’s… Let’s try… Again. Your lawyer pleaded insanity on your behalf when you went on trial for your crimes. Which were… Attempts at human experimentation. Right?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** You haven’t talked once in the last week we’ve been meeting. Are you sure you’re okay?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Hmm… You know, this whole time I’ve never let you talk about what  _ you’ve  _ wanted to talk about. Why don’t we do that?

 

**Patient:** … Well... You’re the first to use that method.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Proud to be the first! Go on, what do  _ you  _ want to talk about? Do you have any questions for me? I’d be happy to answer!

 

*10 seconds of silence*

 

**Patient:** Why did you chose to treat me?

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Because I saw you needed help, and I wanted to help you! Why else would I become a psychiatrist? 

 

**Patient:** Of  _ course.  _ You were forced to, weren’t you? 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** No. I’m here completely of my own free will.

 

**Patient:** Right. Because you’re obviously  _ nothing  _ like the other doctors who were terrified of me.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I’m not scared of you at all. 

 

**Patient:** Did you even read my case file?

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I read it three times over.

 

**Patient:** Then you know about my experiments?

 

**Dr Mjolnir:** Every single one of them.

 

**Patient:** And about the other psychiatrists who tried to treat me?

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I thought that Doctor Gorgon was rather cruel to you. Actually, very cruel.

 

**Patient:** And… You’re still not scared.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Of course not!

 

**Patient: *** sudden hysterical laughter*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What? What is it? You don’t believe me?

 

**Patient:** *half laughing* Oh no, I believe you.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What’s so funny then?

 

**Patient:** You… You just… Ah, it’s nothing.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Are you sure? You seemed pretty excited for a second there.

 

**Patient:** *amused hum*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Okay… We’ll come back to that. Is… Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I suppose that means we’re done for the day. Thank you for meeting with me! I look forward to seeing you again.

 

**Patient:** *quietly* I’m  _ sure  _ you will

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I’m sorry, what was that?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

______

 

**Transcript of Doctor Marie Mjolnir’s report on fifth therapy visit with patient Franken Stein**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** The date is July 14th, 2015. Today I finally was able to converse with him! I’m not sure if it means he’s warming up to me or not, but nonetheless, he spoke to me.

 

He was mostly concerned about why I was treating him. I told him the truth, that it was because I wanted to help him, but he seems to believe otherwise. I should try to help him see that I really do just want to help. Perhaps… The reason he thinks that way is because no one has ever genuinely wanted to help him before. Just the thought of that makes me feel sick. Why would anyone want to become a doctor if they didn’t want to help people? The nerve… Anyhow, I’ll have to work hard to gain his trust from the negligence of his previous doctors.

 

I’m not sure he’s still going to talk to me after this. Maybe today I was lucky. It seems like he’s trying to shut me out. Again, because of the treatment from the doctors before him.  _ Especially  _ from the abuse of a certain Doctor Gorgon. Her neglect and mistreatment of Mister Stein has caused him to become worse than he was before. Her attempt at treating him only caused his distrust to only worsen. Making it much harder for him to simply even  _ communicate _ . How infuriating.

 

Oh, I’ve digressed again. Anyway, because of… Her. I’ve had a hard time getting him to trust me enough to even talk to me. Until today, that is. I told him that he could say anything he wanted to, and that’s finally when he started to talk to me. It took a few days of half an hour visits, but he did it. God… It took that long, and he barely said anything. And what he did say, it was only about his distrust for me. He’s in a worse state than I thought.

 

I’ve yet to bring up his crimes or his police training. I’m waiting for the opportune moment when he’s comfortable enough around me to speak about that. Although, it might take longer than I had previously anticipated.

 

Well, I’ve made a small breakthrough today. And every step counts. Hopefully his comfort in talking with me will continue into our next sessions.

 

____

  
Marie pressed “save” on the computer, sighing. She leaned back in her chair and reflected on her visit with Stein that day. She frowned as she watched the bar on the save progress go up painfully slowly.  She’d never been this upset about a patient before. He came to this hospital to receive help, and all he gets is the opposite. 

 

The bar was at 65%. She started chewing the inside of her cheek, trying to keep herself from getting too upset. 

 

70%.

 

He was probably getting literally kicked into his room at this very second.

 

82%.

 

He’s  _ sick _ and they treat him like literal dirt.

 

89%.

 

She thought she might have tasted blood.

 

94%.

 

Would he ever open up to her? Did the Hospital’s treatment to him close him up forever?

 

99%

 

A sudden knock at her office door made her jump in her seat and bite down on her cheek painfully hard. She smacked her hand on the now definitely bleeding side of her face and flinched. 

 

“Come in!” She called out a little bit too loudly. The notification pop on her computer sounded, letting her know the recording had finally been saved to her computer.

 

The door slowly opened, revealing the director. He walked in regally, with his head held high and his hands behind his back.

 

“Oh, hi director!” Marie said, leaning on her desk, trying to make the holding her cheek look natural. “What can I do for you?” 

 

“Have you had any luck with Stein?” He asked in what was supposed to be a casual manner, but just turned out sounding awkward.

 

“Actually, yes! He talked to me today.” She confirmed. 

 

“Really?” The director asked as his eyes widened.

 

“Really.” She smiled, hoping he didn’t notice the wince she made from moving her cheek. “Although he mainly expressed concern about why I was treating him, he did willingly speak with me!” 

 

“I should give you a raise just for that. It took much longer for all of the previous psychiatrist to make him talk…”

 

“I didn’t  _ make  _ him talk.” She corrected him.

 

“Right. Sorry,” the director apologized sincerely. “It’s just… He’s been so relentless to everyone else… I forget sometimes.” 

 

“Forget what?”

 

“It’s nothing,” the director dismissed. “Is there anything I can do to help you with your treatments?”

 

“I feel like he’s not treated correctly by some of the staff at this facility. Could you try and look into that?” Marie asked politely. “It would really help him feel better, which would also really help me in treating him.” 

 

“Of course. I’ll get to it as soon as I can,” the director assured. 

 

“Thank you. I sincerely appreciate that,” Marie said warmly. “Oh, and director, I’ve been wondering… Why did Mister Stein call you ‘Kid’?”

 

“It’s because I’m so young,” the director sighed as he rolled his eyes. “He apparently believes I deserve to be treated like a child.” 

 

“Well, you are quite young,” Marie laughed. “But you run the hospital like a true professional. Even if you are, what, twenty?”

 

“Yes.” He nodded. “And thank you.” 

 

“Well, I shan’t keep you any longer.” He said as he opened the door to walk back out. “I know it can be draining, talking with him.”   
  
“It wasn’t draining at all!” Marie said, brushing his comment aside.

 

“Ah… Right. Anyway, I’m sure you want to get home. Thank you, Doctor Mjolnir. You’re doing this hospital a great service.” 

 

“You’re very welcome.” She nodded at him.

 

He walked into the hallway closing the door behind him. Her smile disappeared from her face as she stood up from her chair and started gathering her things.

 

She didn’t come here to serve the hospital. She came here to help someone in need.

 

_____________

 

Stein heard his door close behind him, the lock clicking into place and keeping him inside. He frowned as the dim lights flickered on and illuminated the room. 

 

The reality of the situation ate away at him as he walked across the room. He had let himself talk to her. He didn’t say anything about himself or what his crimes, but she had gotten him to say so much more than any of the other doctors had. He grit his teeth, frustrated that she had been so successful at making him talk.

 

He froze for a second when he realized, she didn’t even make him talk. She let him talk. She allowed him to say what he wanted. That was probably the first time in his entire life someone let him do that willingly.

 

He plopped down on his bed and stared at the floor. She was good, he’d give her that. She was good at getting words out of him and at acting like she cared about him. No one else had played it that convincingly. 

 

For a second, He worried that she would succeed at what all the other doctors had tried and failed to do to him,  he worried that she might make him say everything. That she might manipulate him to her will and bend him into shape. 

  
He stopped his own thoughts in their tracks and formed a twisted grin on his face.

 

He’d find out what was in that pretty little head of her’s before he’d let that happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Transcript of multiple therapy sessions between Doctor Marie Mjolnir and patient Franken Stein**

 

**Session 6**

 

**(Skipped to 3:07 in)**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Are you sure you didn’t want to talk about anything today?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Well, I’ll take that as a no then. Did you have any questions for me? Any at all? 

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Not even about me? About my life? I feel like if I’m learning so much about you, than you should learn about me too.

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Are you uncomfortable talking to me? Is that why you’re so quiet?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Or do you just not trust me?

 

**Patient:** Hmm

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Is that it? you don’t trust me?

 

**Patient:** Hm

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** *sighs quietly* Are you not wanting to talk today?

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I’ll… I’ll come back again tomorrow. Maybe it’ll be easier to talk then.

  
  


**Session 12**

 

**(Skipped to 5:27 in)**

 

**Dr Mjolnir:** It’s been almost a week of daily visits and you haven’t said anything more than ‘hm’. 

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, but it seems that simply being around me is making you anxious. 

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Is there something I can do to make you feel less nervous? 

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** I want to help you, but I can’t do it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.

 

**Patient:** *silence*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** *sighs and sits back in her chair*

 

***five seconds of silence***

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Are… Are you  _ smiling _ ?

 

**Patient:** *amused hum*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?

 

**Patient:** *drums fingers on the table*

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** *sighs* Tell you what, by our next visit, I’ll definitely have something to talk about, okay? Maybe that’ll make things a little easier.

 

**____________**

 

**Transcript of Doctor Marie Mjolnir’s report on 12th therapy visit with patient Franken Stein**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** *sighs* The date is… July 21st... 2015… It’s… I’ve yet to hear a real sentence from him since our fifth session. I’ve never had a patient this difficult to work with before. I have to keep reminding myself that he’s not in the best mental condition right now, so of course it’s not going to go smoothly. But… It’s definitely been a trial of my patience. Especially when he looks so smug when I’m trying to help him. But I have to just know that’s what to expect from him by now. No matter how hard it is not to just lose it.

 

As usual, he’s extremely persistent on staying silent. I’ve seen him almost say something several times, but he stops himself before he can even make a sound. I believe he might be trying to protect himself. I’m worried that my fear of him losing the ability to trust people is true. He’s  _ clearly  _ trying to keep me out. He dosen’t seem to want to be treated. And if he doesn't want to be treated, we’re never going to get anywhere.

 

I’ve decided I’m going to interview the officer who turned him in. I believe his name was officer Albarn. Maybe he’ll know something about him, considering he’s apparently “seen him at his worst”. I’ll call him in a few minutes to ask him if he could come in today or tomorrow. Hopefully Albarn can help me find out more about him. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up all this quiet.

 

**End of transcripts.**

 

____________

 

A few phone calls, permission from the Director, and two days later, Spirit Albarn was waiting for Marie in the lobby of the Hospital. She walked almost excitedly out of her office to meet him. She was finally going to be able to learn something about her patient. Hopefully even be able to advance his treatment from it. 

 

When she reached the end of the hallway to the lobby, she stopped, pulling a mirror out from her bag. She inspected her makeup and hair, making sure everything was in place. After a few spots, stray hairs, and smudges had been fixed, she clicked the mirror shut with confidence.

 

After taking an affirming breath, she opened the door in front of her, only to find a man with scraggly red hair and a slightly rumpled police uniform sprawled on one of the couches. He was half asleep, his head starting to nod off as his eyes slowly closed themselves. His arm was bent in an almost unnatural way as it supported his head against the cushions. Drool was slightly dripping out of his mouth. Her air of confidence shattered and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. She sighed silently, hoping she was wrong about what she was in for. 

 

She forced herself to snap out of it and straightened herself in determination. 

 

“Hello!” She called out to him a little too loudly, making him jump in his seat. He immediately sat up straight, wiped his face off with his sleeve and adjusted his collar, quickly trying to cover up any evidence that he had been sleeping. Marie pulled out the chair from behind the front desk and placed it next to the couch he was on, accidentally slamming it on the floor, making him shrink a little in surprise. She realized she had formed an air of hostility around her and made herself quickly soften, smiling kindly.

 

“I am Dr. Marie Mjolnir. You must be Spirit Albarn, am I correct?” She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs, extending her hand out to him. He relaxed at her new politeness and sat up straighter. 

 

“Yep. That’s me.” He almost bragged as he took her hand and shook it.

 

“Would it be okay if I recorded our interview?” Marie asked, pulling out her phone.

 

“Yeah. I mean, it’s what I’m here for, right?” He shrugged.

 

“Thank you. Excuse me for a moment.” She said as she pressed “Record”

 

**Transcript of interview between Dr. Marie Mjolnir and Officer Spirit Albarn.**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** The date is July 23rd, 2015. I am Doctor Marie Mjolnir, here with Officer Albarn. Now, Officer, you were the one who arrested and turned in Stein, correct?  
  
 **Officer Albarn:** _Please_ , call me Spirit. And yes, that _definitely_ was me.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Alright then… Spirit. My report says that you had encountered him some number of times before you turned him into the Asylum.

 

**Officer Albarn:** Only a few. The first couple of times were only attempts at human experimentation. We had caught him before he had actually started anything. The last one he had almost succeeded. Under the circumstances, any other officer in the force would have been scared to even go near him. But me? Nah. I went straight for him and caught him in the act.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** … Right. Well, Director Death has told me you’ve “seen him at his worst.” I assume this is when you arrested him for that. Can you explain what he was like?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Well…  ***Officer clears throat*** it wasn’t pleasant, I can tell you that.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Can you tell me anything that would set him apart from any other… Criminal you’ve seen before? Anything he’s said or done?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Well… Uh… He was very clear about his… Motives. 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What do you mean by that?

 

**Officer Albarn:** When he was taken in for interrogation and asked about why he did it, he told us it was because he *Officer makes quotation marks in the air* ‘Simply wanted to study’ the victim.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Did he say why?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Not really. He kinda gave off the feeling that he only did it because he wanted to.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Would you say that he does these things for fun than?

 

**Officer Albarn:** I feel like that could be part of it. But I feel like it’s more of a compulsive need to cut things open. 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** You talk almost as if your certain.

 

**Officer Albarn:** Well… I did kind of know him before he went bonkers.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** You did?! 

 

**Officer Albarn:** Uh… Yeah.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What was he to you? An acquaintance? A friend?

 

**Officer Albarn:** More like… A partner.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** You dated him?

 

**Officer Albarn:** What?! Hell no! No, no way. Absolutely not. No. We were partners when we were in  _ training _ .  _ Roommates.  _

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Ah, that’s right! He was training to become a police officer before he had his breakdown, right?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Yeah. And it’s a shame, he would have made an incredible cop…

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What makes you say that?

 

**Officer Albarn:** He was an incredible fighter and literally a genius. Hell, he still is. But for as long as I’ve known him, his morals were always unstable. He always had good intentions, but always came about them the wrong way. 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Would you say he’s still like that?

 

**Officer Albarn:** It’s possible. I mean, I feel like he doesn't  _ want  _ to hurt or kill people, but the way he does things, plenty of people are hurt in the process. Like when he dissects people, he doesn't want to kill them or even hurt them, he just wants to study. He always knocked out the victim before he tried to experiment on them. 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Would you say that he went out of his way to make sure there was a minimal amount of pain in the process then?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Maybe. I mean, before his breakdown he did care about people. I mean, why else would he become a cop?

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** What was he like?

 

**Officer Albarn:** When we trained together? He was definitely a smartass. Also very intimidating when he wanted to be. I would say he was borderline reckless. He did things how he wanted, and only listened to the higher ups. But he was truly phenomenal cop wise. His quick decision making, combat skills, his medical genius, really everything about him.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Sounds like you really admired him!

 

**Officer Albarn:** I kinda did. Until, you know, he started tearing up people on the street.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Right. Well, is there anything else of note that you can think of?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Not really. I think the basics were covered.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Okay, then. Thank you very much for coming in, Officer!

 

**Officer Albarn:** One more thing, Doctor.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Yes?

 

**Officer Albarn:** Uh… *sighs* Please… Take care of him. He… He isn’t the bad guy. He’s done plenty of bad things, sure. But… Ah, nevermind.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Don’t worry, I know. I’ll make sure he’s treated in the best way possible.

 

**Officer Albarn:** Thanks, Doc.

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** Of course! And thank  _ you _ for taking time out of your day to talk to me!

 

**Officer Albarn:** No problem! Call me if you ever need anything. I mean,  _ anything _ . 

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** … Sure.

  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

“Rise and shine, nutty professor!” Came an obnoxious yell from outside his door, followed by a loud banging on the metal, making it ring and giving Stein a headache. 

  
He growled and rubbed his face with his hands when he sat up in bed, preparing himself for the torture that awaited him outside.

 

“You got three minutes to throw your nasty-ass clothes on before I come in there and kick your ass out of your bed! Wake the fuck up!” The man outside shouted as he unlocked the slit in the door.

 

Stein looked at the clock on his wall and sighed. He had only slept a total of two hours in the past three days. Mostly thanks to the “Star” wailing outside his door. He somehow managed to put on his clothes and find his glasses before his door was literally kicked down. He thought he might have felt his face twitch as he walked over to the door, turned around, and put his hands out the slit from behind his back.

 

“Aha! You were just terrified at my threat, weren’t you?” Stein heard him boast as he felt the familiar click of handcuffs locking around his wrists. The door behind him unlocked with a groan, and swung open to reveal a shit-eating grin slapped onto his own personal chaperone, Officer Black. 

 

Stein was assigned to him as soon as he was admitted. He was force to be watched under this guard in particular because he was the only known officer who had the skills to stop Stein if he ever tried to escape. 

 

“How’s your new girlfriend?” He sneered as he literally shoved Stein in the direction of the therapy room. He grit his teeth angrily as he stumbled forward, wanting nothing more than to plant his fist into his thick skull. 

 

“You’re too goddamn slow, nutjob. Keep up the pace or I’ll stampede over your face!” 

 

Stein forced himself to walk faster, digging his nails into his fists. He was running low on energy, which is rare in his case. He’d only ever gotten this tired maybe three times in his life. He wasn’t used to feeling weak. Normally he could tolerate Black’s bashings and screams, but today was physically painful to keep quiet.

 

After a few more insanity related insults and a punch in the arm, they had finally made it to the therapy room. Black yanked out his keys and stabbed it into the keyhole, probably breaking it.

 

“Move it!” Black barked as he shoved Stein into the room. He stumbled a little before he slowly straightened himself and moved forward, feeling more violent than he had felt in a long time.

 

Once he reached the other side of the table, he practically fell into his chair. Black purposefully yanked at his cuffs around his wrists as he secured them to the table.

 

“Now, try not to get  _ too  _ frisky in here with her. We wouldn’t want another one of you running around like an idiot.” Black said, laughing to the ceiling as he slammed the door behind him.

 

__________________________

 

“Hello, Mister Stein! How are you? I finally have something new to talk about today!” Marie said brightly as she sat down at her chair across the table. He didn't respond. His eyes were drooping as he stared at the wall behind her. She started observing his behavior. He was hunched over the table slightly, his arms leaning on the table and supporting his weight. His eyes blinked incredibly slowly and they had dark circles under them, a dazed look stuck on his face.    
  
“Are you... Are you tired?” She asked politely. “You look like you're half asleep.”   
  
“Hm.”   
  
“What was that?”   
  
Silence.   
  
“Have you have trouble sleeping lately?” she asked.   
  
“... What?” 

 

“Have you had any trouble sleeping lately?” she repeated kindly.   
  
His gaze slowly shifted from the wall to Marie. He squinted his eyes at her from behind his slightly crooked glasses, clearly confused.

 

“Why are you asking?” he questioned slowly.

 

“Because you look so tired! I don’t want you to be exhausted!” she reassured. “Why don’t we take a break for today so that you can get some sleep? I’ll make sure we come back to this when you’ve had plenty of re-.” 

 

“Okay, I think I get it. You can stop now.” Stein suddenly intruded. 

 

“... What?” Marie blinked. ”I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.” 

 

“You pretending to care about me.” Stein said as if it were the most obvious thing. “You can stop. It’s been almost a week, I get the idea.” 

 

“You… You honestly think I don’t care about you, don’t you?” Marie realized. “You really don’t think…” 

 

“I’ll admit, you’ve faked it better and made it longer than any of the other doctors have,” Stein said. “But we both know it’s getting old. I think it’s time you give it a rest.”

 

Marie’s eyes widened as she stared at him in amazement. 

 

“What… What did they say to you to make you this distrustful?” She said, softly. “You honestly believe… That no one wants to help you, don’t you?”

 

“Why would they?” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve tried to perform human experiments multiple times. People are always too scared to want to, or they just don’t want to waste their time on me because I’m apparently dangerous. And if you’re not scared like you claim you are, than you just-” 

 

Stein stopped in his tracks, finally having taken a good look at Marie. He sat up suddenly in surprise.

 

She was crying. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked at him in empathy. 

 

And for a brief moment, he thought he might have seen a sincerity in her eyes. He thought she might have meant everything she’d said thus far. He thought that maybe, maybe, she actually genuinely cared about him.

 

But he immediately rid his mind of the idea. There was no way. He didn’t believe in miracles.

 

“You really do feel that abandoned, don’t you?” she said, her voice cracking. “ I really do want to help you.” She shook her head slightly, pausing to breath deeply. “I’m so, so sorry you were treated in such a horrible way in the past. But I just want you to know, that I promise to never treat you that way. I’ll do everything in my power to help you.” She paused again, raising her head determinedly. “I promise to  _ Actually _ help you. It’s what I came here to do, and it’s what I plan on doing.”

 

Stein only raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she had ever been an actress.

 

“I… I think we  _ should _ take a break today.” Marie said as she slowly stood up from her chair. “I’ll… I’ll go get the chaperone.” 

 

Marie turned slowly, almost as if she didn’t want to take her eyes off of him. When she finally reached the door, she took out her keys and unlocked it. 

 

“Is it okay if I leave you here for a minute while I go get them?” she asked, not looking behind.

 

He didn’t answer, still in a little bit of a shock from her display of emotions. He turned to look at the wall, somehow finding himself not able to look at her.

 

“I’ll… I’ll be right back,” she muttered, closing the door behind her and clicking the lock closed.

 

Stein fell back into his chair, suddenly feeling deflated. If she wasn’t actually crying, why did he suddenly feel so... Disappointed?

 

No, it couldn’t be disappointment. Because there was nothing to be disappointed in, right?

 

_________

 

**Transcript of Doctor Marie Mjolnir’s report on thirteenth therapy visit with patient Franken Stein.**

 

**Dr. Mjolnir:** The date is the 24th of July, 2015. Today I went into our session and found Mister Stein sleep deprived. I really hope he didn’t stay up due to someone else’s intrusions. He has enough to deal with already. When I offered that he go back to sleep, he confirmed my suspicion that he thought my treating him like basic human beings should treat each other was an act. I got a little emotional, because in that moment, I realized how abandoned he actually felt. He thought no one cared about him. Can you imagine that? Not letting yourself believe people care about you to stop yourself from getting hurt…

 

I assume he saw my distress, because he suddenly withdrew his offensive measures and seemed a little shocked.    
  
I decided that we should end the session so that he could get more sleep… I suppose also so that I could calm down. I left the room to get the chaperone and locked him inside, trusting that he would remain handcuffed to the table and not try to escape. When I approached the chaperone, he assumed that since I had left so early, that Mister Stein had done something to scare or hurt me. I’m so tired of everyone treating him like a monster. He doesn't deserve to live like this.

 

When I unlocked the door for the chaperone, he was still chained to the table. I was incredibly grateful that my trust in him paid off. But when he saw me walk back in, he seemed to almost wince. I’m not sure if it was because he saw me emotional, but hopefully this won’t hinder our future sessions. 

 

I’m seeing him tomorrow, perhaps then we’ll find out if he’s still comfortable talking with me. I hope he gets a good sleep and feels better by then. Maybe I’ll bring him something special for all this trouble. But what would he like? Maybe I should read his case file again and find out more about him. No, I’ll talk with him to find out more about him, the way it should be. The way people should treat each other.


End file.
